The only woman he loves
by Sunny Ice
Summary: What a chaos! Derek is can't recognize himself any more, and suspiciously Casey is every time around when he acts strange... "Kind of" counterpart to "You wanna play it like a game?"
1. The Prince and the Witch

Too less Dasey on, I decided and wrote this in less than an hour. I haven't seen the show in years, but there is this world of endless possibilities called Internet and so I'm watching them in my super-lame loading time…in the meantime enjoy this story, before I throw my laptop out the window…which would ruin my car along with it…I'll let you know, what I did in the end of the story.

**Disclaimer: I do not own "Life with Derek" or any related films.**

**Claimer: The way the characters are composed (aka "the storyline") is my intellectual property.** (_this_ really gets boring- If you try to sue me, you'll have to deal with my would-have-been-sister-in-law and her team, so don't waste your time. Read my stories instead!-)

* * *

There was only one woman he had loved, loved and will ever love.

"Tiffany..." It was not more than a sigh.

"I know." Named woman stood in front of him with her eyes closed.

"You'll better go." His voice seemed to break.

"Why did you even invite me, if there's only one woman in the world you love?"

Wordlessly he opened the door for Tiffany. She turned one last time. Tears welled in her eyes.

"I really thought you weren't playing games this time." She slapped him in the face and ran out and away.

He sighed heavily.

Then he slammed the door, brushed his hands on his jeans and smirked. "One for the gone."

"Der-ek!"

"And one that stays." The smirk still plastered on his face he turned and hopped up the stairs.

"What is it Space-Case?"

"Can you _please_ tell Marti, that she should get dressed and washed for bed?"

"Obviously Little Miss Perfect didn't take the babysitting course for _real_ life." It was just too much fun showing her that she was not as perfect as she claimed to be.

She scoffed but stepped aside.

"Smarti? Come out, the monster's gone!" Indeed the door opened and Marti stepped out. Dressed and washed. All the glitter from playing princesses was gone along with the pink fluffy dress.

Derek didn't take a look at the mess his sister left behind, he scooped her up and carried her to her room.

Casey rolled her eyes and went to get the mob.

u-_-u

"...and that's how the handsome prince Derek married the princess," Derek ended his story.

"No! He can't marry the ugly princess," Marti screamed.

"Not ugly-"

"Yes, ugly! She married the prince although he loved the witch."

"And he will love the witch forever, but that doesn't count. His country expects him to marry a princess and so he has to."

"Prince Derek never does what his people expect him to do." She crossed her little arms over the comforter and pouted.

"Okay," he leaned in and whispered conspiratorially. "What if the princess goes on holiday and Prince Derek throws away the key to the kingdom while she's gone so she'll never get in again to see Derek and the witch kissing on the balcony?"

"That's good." With a smile she yawned.

"And the pretty little fairy watched over them and their family, who all had to accept that all they ever wanted was to live happily ever after." He kissed her on the forehead and turned off the light. As her breath became deep and steady, he slowly got off her bed and walked out, closing the door silently not to wake his little fairy.

Deciding to have his fun snatching the remote from Casey and enjoy the following fight -it had to be a fight, she wouldn't shout at him, when they have to babysit Marti- he went downstairs. Casey was in the kitchen, making herself a sandwich.

"Thank you." Derek snatched the bread out of her hand.

"Der-ek!"

"Did I ever tell you that I love the way you rip my name apart?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

First he thought she blushed. He was astonished.

Then he saw her jaw clenching, her brows knitting together and her lips converting to a thin line. He ran.

"Did I ever tell you, that you are most annoying, when you snatch away my food?" She hissed and ran after him. Around the kitchen island, into the living room, around the couch. Over the couch. Casey jumped onto it and tried to tackle Derek.

She failed as she slipped on one of the cushions. For a second she had a deja-vu. She was falling off the couch because of Derek -again.

Surprised she looked up, as she didn't feel the hard floor hurting her. She had to blink a few times, before she realized that he caught her.

"You okay?" Then _he_ had to blink a few times. What was that? Why did he care? Klutzilla would get over it. He dropped her instantly.

"_What_ was that for?!" She looked at him furiously as she picked herself up from the floor.

Without saying anything, he turned around and ran up the stairs.

Casey just shook her head. The sandwich was forgotten.

u-_-u

A few hours later was Derek still throwing a baseball in the air and catching it again.

And again.

And again.  
Why did he catch Casey? Why did he care if she was alright? Why did he feel the need to run away after he had dropped her?  
These questions rotated in his head since he came to his room and locked it. He could tell himself that he only caught her and asked if she was alright because last time she nearly used him as a slave so she wouldn't tell George and Nora that he made her fall and didn't catch her. It didn't end well for neither of them. And this time it wasn't even the truth. There was something else. Something that made him enjoy this fights when she managed to tackle him and he felt her warmth. Her triumphant whisper in his ear. Something that makes him laugh at her in the rare mornings where he got up early enough to see her with her hair a mess and her face with the imprint of the pillow on her cheek.  
Growling he put the ball away and got up from his bed. The clock on his nightstand showed nearly 9pm. He had to do something. And there was only one thing he could think of. Okay, two things, but the other was not an option for him.

u-_-u

Next Chap. up tomorrow. Feedback?


	2. Option 1-Try to run away

I decided the third chapter is for all the ones, who reviewed, pm-d, followed and faved me. I'm honored *bows*, and I hope, you like my upcoming stories just as well. Here we go- second part:

* * *

He knocked on Casey's door. She opened with a diary and a pen in her hand, already dressed in her pyjamas.

"Isn't it a bit late to annoy me?" It was hard to focus on her eyes when she looked like _this_. Really hard.  
"Funny," he pulled a face. "Listen, I… uhm wanna go for a run, so can you please have an eye on Marti?"  
She frowned. "I know I repeat myself, but isn't it too late for that either?"  
He sighed. "Maybe. But I can take care of myself. So would you _please _do me that favour?"

"Sure."

"I know, you won't do…wait, what?!"

"I said sure," she repeated slowly as if he were half-wit. What he _was_ in her opinion.

"O~kay. Spill, what do you want from me in return?"

She scoffed. "This is _nothing_ I do just for you. I do it for Marti, our little sister."

"_Step-_sister," he automatically corrected.

"For her, I don't mind." She glared at him. Why didn't he get it? _He _was the only one who had to have this prefix for her.

He didn't ask further, for he didn't want to know the answers.

"I'll be back in an hour."

It took him exactly 70 minutes.

He realized that as soon as he opened the housedoor and the clock in the living room struck 10pm. Nearly expecting Casey flashing on the lights and turning around in a big chair while stroking a white cat on her lap, he tip-toed in and closed the door behind him.

No lights, no chair, no cat and no Casey. This was even more scaring than his movie-influenced prospect. Quietly, not to wake Marti, he called Casey's name into the dark of the living room. No answer. He let out a breath and walked up the stairs.  
This went pretty much without pain. His run didn't exhaust him as much as he hoped. Derek wanted himself crawling on his teeth into his bed and sleeping till college begin or Marti's eighteenth birthday.

Depending on what comes first.

Now he was only slightly sweating thanks to the cold weather and his good condition. He would've never thought that being nearly a pro at hockey would be a curse one day.

But Derek neither thought he would fall that hard for someone like _her_. To be honest- he had hoped his new step-sister would be some stereotype of a bimbo: dyed- blond, not so clever, giggling at everything he says.  
Than he met Casey. His world got shattered along with his nerves. Being around her was like walking on a hot roof-top: painful, but you'll wait till dawn and the heat turns into comfortable warmth so you can just lay down and wait for the stars to come out and shine on you, giving you inner peace and hope for another day.

Derek turned on the cold water. When he had thoughts like this he must be in pretty deep. But he would've needed a bucketful of ice to get rid of this picture inside his head. The picture of him holding her hand while she laid her head on his shoulder and just smiled.  
He turned on the warm water again. Since it was no use taking a cold shower, he could just as well enjoy the warm water. Maybe it lulled him into a deep and dreamless sleep.  
There would never be a dreamless sleep, you dream every single night, unless you have an illness; the little voice whispering in his head sounded all too familiar. Derek shook his head and stepped out of the bathroom.  
He stiffened as he heard his name called calmly out in the dark. Slowly he turned around. She leaned against her doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest.  
"You said one hour." It was no accusation, it was just a statement.  
He opened his mouth to throw something sarcastic and hurtful at her, but the sheer rise of her hand to silence him did its job. She shook her head and returned to her room, closing the door behind her without any noise.

Derek stood there gaping for some seconds, before he went to his own room. The last moment he held himself back from slamming the door.  
Marti mustn't be awakened.

u-_-u

He couldn't sleep. Well, pacing his room wouldn't help, but it was all he could do. If he did anything out of his room she would wake up and ask him why he wasn't in bed.  
He sighed heavily and dropped on his bed. He was Derek Venturi, for crying out loud. He could have any woman he wanted by just one snap with his fingers. Whom everybody believed was not a virgin anymore- they didn't ask, he didn't say- 'cause he could charm himself into every girl's pants. But he never brought it this far, telling every girl who wanted, she wasn't worth it. And _this_ was the truth.  
For once in his life he wanted more. More than kisses and a hand under her shirt. More than meaningless waste of time.

He wanted her to smile when he told her how beautiful she was;  
to laugh, when he told a joke;  
to sigh when he kissed her.

Not for one second did he think about what he wanted:  
get washed away, when she's kissing him;  
get dizzy when she's laughing;  
sink into her sparkling eyes, when she's smiling.

Than he decided to do something about this sighing.

u-_-u

* * *

That's it for this week;-) Next week, same date as ever (look it up in my profile), you'll have the next part. 'Till then you can count the songs I put into this one. One sunbeam for right guesses, solution in the next AN. Wishes/improvement suggestions also welcomed.  
Kisses,Sunny


	3. Option 2

Wow, you guys are great! Thank you, thank you, thank you! This chapter is for everyone who, reviewed, followed and faved this story. I'm honored *bows*, and ask you politely to review, if you want to have more Dasey from me, or simply tell me, what you think (of this story or just random;-) So, here we go, lets see how Derek makes it out of this mess:

* * *

Derek awoke to the sunlight and the scent of cinnamon. What a nice way to start the day- smelling Casey's cooking.  
"Casey…," he sighed and hugged his warm pillow even tighter.  
"Derek…," it came back. Wait…not ripped apart? He didn't want to open his eyes…because this can't be what he thought it was!  
"Casey?"  
"Derek?!"

With a shriek on her side and a gasp on his, they jumped up. One glance was enough to tell him that this was not his room. And the cinnamon didn't come from Casey's _cooking.  
_"What are you doing here?!"  
"I don't know…" he scratched the back of his head to awake his brain. There was something terribly wrong in this picture.  
"Well, if _that's_ something new…don't just stand there- GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" Casey pointed at the door next to her. Eyes glued to the floor he passed her and got out as fast as he could.

He started pacing his room again. Mental note- ask George for a new carpet, the old one is thanks to his new habit barely there anymore. This was so not happening! Okay, it was. His sleep-jersey was enough proof for him. It still had her scent on it. Luckily he didn't have to pick it from the floor, when he left her room. He was fully dressed. At least she couldn't sue him for a fault like this. Although that woman looked even fully dressed…what was he thinking!? This had nothing to do with why he woke up cuddled to Casey in her bed.

He delayed that question by hearing Nora's voice talking to her daughter.  
"What happened? Are you hurt?"  
Casey gave her answer too quiet to be heard through his closed door. But because there was no screaming his name, he must be on the safe side.

Why was Nora even up this early? When she told him, she would go to a film with George and the younger ones will have sleepovers at friends', he didn't know they would be out longer then he was awake. It must've been after midnight.

The call for breakfast brought him down into the kitchen. Casey sat with their parents at the table, chatting and laughing with them. Either she was a very good actress or she already forgot about this morning's incident.  
He was going for the first clue, when she looked him straight in the eyes. The endless blue pools were gone, she shoot looks as cold as polar-ice at him. For just a split second he thought he saw something else in them. Best to describe as frustration. As if she hadn't gotten what she wanted. He knew that look from the fights over the remote. Then, when she ripped his name apart that it gave him shivers. Not I a bad way but-

He choked on his cereals and had to cough. This was not real, it just couldn't be. Why had he had these thoughts about Casey lately? What was going on?  
His father patted him on the back until he was able to breathe again.  
"Thanks," Derek muttered and went back to his room, leaving the cereals in the kitchen.

u-_-u

His own house. Casey invaded his house and practically locked him into his own room.  
He tried to be angry at her and turned on the music so loud he could barely hear his thoughts. Good. No thoughts meant no Casey invading them too.

Suddenly he didn't hear anything. Turning around he saw the cable of the stereo was unplugged. And before he even had the chance to realize who stood in his room, she yelled at him: "What is your problem?!" Fury in her eyes, hands on her hips- Casey looked dangerous. In more ways then if she wanted to choke him with the wire.  
"Yesterday you ran away from our fight, today I wake up with you in my bed and now you can't even sit with me at the table!" She pushed it. She pumped up the adrenaline level in his blood and made him shout at her. This was totally her fault.  
"Whoa, slow it down, princess! Firstly- I didn't run away, I never do. I just had to get this disgusting sandwich out of my systems, and secondly I have no idea myself why I spent the night in your bed, Klutzilla." She took a step forward and let the wire drop to the floor. Her smirk made him almost run out of his own room. No! If someone has to leave his room, it was her. He mirrored her actions.

She stood straight and looked at him.  
"Hate to break it to you, Mr-I-get-in-every-girl's-pants, but if you play any kind of trick on me, you found yourself a hard nut to crack. I'm not infected by your charms." Her voice was a low hiss.  
"As we saw today, no trick is needed. I'm probably not in your _pants_, but I've already been in your _bed._"

Her smirk didn't vanish as he had wished.  
"Still no idea, _why_ you were there?" After that words he didn't hear anything- she grabbed the back of his head and pushed her lips on his. Derek's eyes widened. What…  
His thoughts faded as they did with the music before, but this time he liked it way better.  
She broke away.  
"Casey…" his voice was husky and filled with questions.  
She shook her head and leaned towards him again.

Blissfully he closed his eyes and let his hands wander. Down her shoulders to her hands where he intertwined her fingers with his. Without noticing they deepened the kiss. Some seconds, days, centuries later he felt a stinging pain in his lung. He had to break away, even if that meant that she would probably be gone, or slap him, or…smile at him?  
Derek had to blink a few times before he accepted that Casey was standing in front of him _smiling_. Right then she turned her head away and blushed heavily.  
"I-I…I don't know…"  
Even if he ruined that moment, he chuckled: "Two new experiences at once?"  
"Hey!" She didn't slap him, she only hit him on the chest playfully. Then the smile faded.  
"What now?"  
"I don't know either."  
"Maybe…"  
"Maybe-what?"  
She had turned around and walked to his door, but was stopped by his hand on her arm.  
"Maybe the tension between us was not completely hate."

The silence almost hurt his ears. His head screamed at him to laugh at her, call her a fool and kick her out of the room.  
Something very deep hidden, though, made him say what was true: "Maybe."  
Hesitantly she turned around. "Could this be the reason you went to my room at night?" She knead her fingers and avoided his gaze.  
"Could be." Then his old self came back: "Maybe we should make sure your theory is right." He pulled at her hand and she spun around to him like the gracile dancer she was.  
"Der-ek," she smiled again. "Do you do this to all your girls?" Hurt flared up in her eyes.  
"You want to be my girl?" His smirk came back.  
"I didn't say that."  
"You did."

"I didn't." She was silenced by a kiss.  
As he broke away breathlessly, he still smirked.  
"You talk too much."  
"And you kiss too much."  
"Really?"  
"No, now shut up and do it again."  
It was as if they lit fires in one another. They wanted everything.  
"You know, what this _really_ means?," Casey asked.  
"That I found a way to shut you up and enjoy it even more?"  
"That you will never kiss another girl."  
"You sure? I will kiss all of them: the keener-," he pecked her on the lips.

"-the dancer- " he did it again.

"-the out-of-bed-messy-hair-"

"-the fighter for the remote-" he kissed her with more passion this time.  
She pouted. "Why does this Casey get a better kiss?"  
"Because I wanted to show her what I felt like doing the since the first time she pinned me to the floor."  
"Der-ek!"  
"I still love it."  
"You love me?" Perplexed she looked at him.  
"I didn't say that!"  
"You did." Casey smiled triumphantly.  
"Fine!," he threw his arms in the air. "I did."  
Then he pulled her closer. Her- the only woman he will ever love.

x-_-x

Okay, my laptop still lives. Only because I need him for work. And for writing FFs.  
For the first time I ask for reviews, because I want to know, if somebody out there who reads it wants to read more about those two from me. (I know at least one person, who wants to say something to me, and you find her/him by looking in the mirror ;-)


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